If only I had a Ritter Sport advent calendar, but alas, I don’t. Instead, I have my countdown to the end of the semester. Yes, I’m as bad as a student. 
Archive for November, 2010
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My Advent Calendar
2010
11.29
11.29
Five Things I Must Do This Weekend
2010
11.26
11.26
- Must book New Zealand hotels this weekend
- Must get Journal articles into one .PDF file
- Must get new issue of Journal ready for website
- Must pay car payment
- Must put up my Christmas Tree
My White Trash Thanksgiving Menu
2010
11.24
11.24
Our Thanksgiving Menu
Cheese Spread and Crackers
Black Olives
Turkey with Cornbread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy [1]
Sweet Potato Patties [2]
Green Bean Casserole
Roasted Turnips
Collard Greens
Cabbage
Cresent Rolls [3]
Cranberry Sauce [4]
Steamed Baby Carrots
Pumpkin Pie [5] or Apple Pie [6]
Some sort of wine [7]
Last year, I made roasted figs and potatoes and all sorts of fancy, New York Times‘ worthy food. This year, the in-laws are lucky that I didn’t throw hamburgers on the grill!
Just another night in the ‘hood
2010
11.23
11.23
Here I was last night, relaxing on my couch, watching some insipid Monday night comedy when someone started banging on my front door. I tried to ignore it. Usually when someone comes knocking on the door at night it’s either (1) a pair of Mormons, a set of Jehovah’s Witnesses, or a group of religious zealots from the local Baptist church, trying to solicit souls for their various causes, or (2) some derelict asking for money for food | medicine | bus fare. For the record, the people in the second category stopped coming around our house about the time we brought Chessie home from the pound; nothing keeps people away like a big, scary dog.
Last night, however, the knocking became frantic and the doorbell started ringing. Since I am too short to see out the peephole [Note to self: Buy a stool!], I put the chain on the door, made sure my pepper spray was nearby, grabbed the big dog, and cracked open the door to see what in the hell was going on. Standing on my porch was a woman screaming for me to call 911.
I shut the door, grabbed the phone and called the cops. I mean, when there’s a crazy | drunk | high woman banging on your door, that seems like the logical strategy.
Things got remarkably quiet after I called the cops, so I stuck my head out the door again – still with the big dog beside me – and the woman was gone! I looked left. Nothing. Right. Nothing. Poof! Gone!
I went back inside, called the cops, and told them not to come.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I went back outside and looked again. This time, one of neighbors came over to talk to me. Apparently, the woman had been going up and down the street banging on everyone’s doors! As we were talking, a guy came along in a truck, looking for the woman. Of course, we didn’t tell him anything. After all, he could have been beating on her or something equally bad.
The guy drove around for a while looking for the woman. The cops drove around for a while looking for the woman. The guy in the house behind us came out with a flashlight and was looking for the woman. After 20 minutes of watching this, I went inside to wait for The Coach to get home. And – wait for it — right after he drove up, we heard her yelling on the street behind us.
The guy, apparently, had taken off with her truck.
While the Chair’s Away …
2010
11.17
11.17
… the to do list just keeps piling up. It’s quite alarming all the stuff I still need to accomplish in the new few weeks. And yes, I’m being a bit of a crybaby here, so you don’t have to read the list unless you want to. {LOL}
Timing
2010
11.15
11.15
Talk about Timing …
I didn’t even know this was going on until I got to New Orleans!
Packed.
2010
11.09
11.09
Being an administrator has its ups and its downs. Today was definitely a downer, but tomorrow I’ll be on my way to New Orleans! Phew!
A Weekend Wasted
2010
11.08
11.08
I took a mental health weekend. Lord knows, I needed it. I’m getting crabby in my old age and work was, well, sucky last week. By the time I went home on Friday night, I was ready to curl up in a ball underneath my desk. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to make crockpot chili. Yep, I spent my Friday night on the couch watching Blazing Saddleswith a bowl of beans. If you don’t find that funny, then you don’t have a 12 year old’s sense of humor. Curled up in bed with a book, a dog and various combinations of cats.
Saturday, ah, glorious Saturday. Got up, went to the CSA for our last pickup of the season (minus the Thanksgiving Share), ate breakfast at Golden Corral, went to Aldi (Ritter Sport is back in stock – awesome), and came home. Watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Watched LSU beat Alabama. Made a meatloaf. Curled up in bed with a book, a dog and various combinations of cats.
Sunday was equally lazy. Got up, ate a bowl of cereal. Watched Planet 51. Balanced the checkbook. Bitched about money — or the lack thereof. Ate a meatloaf sandwich for lunch. Pre-bowled because I am going to be out of town Wednesday night. Went to Culver’s for burgers. Came home, watched a documentary on the Manhattan Project and Race to Witch Mountain. Curled up in bed with a book, a dog, and various combinations of cats.
It really was a weekend wasted.
The Friday Roundup
2010
11.05
11.05
The November Blues: 18 advising appointments in three days. A never ending series of meetings, all of which seem to be scheduled at either 8 in the morning or at 3:30 on a Friday afternoon. Schedules to make. Papers to grade. I was holding out hope for a calm Thanksgiving, but much to my chagrin, the in-laws may be coming with their expectations of turkey and homemade pies. If they’re lucky, they might get hamburgers on the grill.
I can’t wait to see how the mainstream Republican Party
will respond to these right-wing whack jobs.
Election Let-Down: I knew the Republican avalanche was coming, but that still doesn’t keep me from being down-right disgusted with the election results. I’m still pissed at (about to be former) Senator Bayh for screwing over the state. Not only did we end up with a carpetbagger for Senator, we also ended up losing the Bloody Eighth to a Republican heart surgeon. Well, at least I don’t live in Kentucky where I am sure that Atlas Shrugged is about to become required reading.
Will I Ever Have Money Again? My financial life is so damned depressing right now. I teach in the summers so that I have money for travel. Yet, I’ve already had to cancel my spring break trip to Guatemala. All of my summer savings are gone — air conditioning repairs for the house, a floor finishing project gone awry, repairs to The Coach’s car, repairs to my car, more repairs to The Coach’s car, a new furnace for the house, and even more repairs to The Coach’s car. I will never buy a damned Ford again, let me tell you. Oh, and now the very top piece of siding on our house (up in the top of the gable) fell off in a windstorm. Just one piece. Not enough for an insurance claim, mind you, and the damned handyman has vanished into thin air.
Going to visit my favorite American city.
Too bad I’ll be in conference sessions most of the trip.
New Orleans, Here I Come! Well, at least I can be happy about the fact that I am leaving for New Orleans next Wednesday. To attend a Dean’s conference. On the University’s dime. My boss, bless his heart, even paid for me to take the Katrina disaster tour because it’s related to my research agenda.